Are We Really Free
by jess obsessed 04
Summary: Sequel to "The Escapement". Katniss and Peeta are finally out of prison, for good. They start their senior year oh high school, and man they are excited. But when they start school, they face problems. When the couple start to go through torment, drama, and judgement, they truly wonder if they are really free.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This story is a sequel to my other story, The Escapement, so I mention you read that one first. For the people who already have, then here's the sequel. ENJOY!**

Chapter 1: Peeta POV

"Are you ready?" Katniss asked me, taking a shirt off a rack and putting it over my chest.

"Ready for what?" Katniss let her arm fall as she glared at me.

"Weren't you listening, like at all?" she huffed. I just gave her one of Peeta's famous smiles that can get away with anything. Apparently that was the wrong answer when her hands went to her hips.

Her scowl didn't leave when she spoke again. "Your smile isn't working this time, Mellark."

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer into me. her arms automatically went around my neck, even though she was still giving me her famous scowl.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, looking into her eyes. "I was just distracted by that cute little mole on your neck. I'll listen, I promise."

That seemed to work when her face softens and a half smile forms on her face.

"You better be lucky that you're cute," she smiled up at me. I smiled back and bend down to kiss the spot on her neck where the mole is. When I lingered there for too long, Katniss gently pushed me back and gave me the "we're in public" look.

I rolled my eyes as Katniss went back to looking at the racks of clothes. Katniss convinced me to come shopping with her. I remember being strong, standing my ground this morning. Katniss begged me to go shopping with her, even giving me her best attempt of the puppy dog eyes. I was strong until she started kissing my neck, roaming her hands across my chest. I should've been used to it by now; I mean it has been three years. But she still got me, man I was weak.

"So as I was saying," she continued. "Are you ready for the first day of school tomorrow?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I haven't thought about it, really."

Katniss shoved a few shirts into my chest. "You haven't thought about it at all? Like at _all_?" I shook my head.

Katniss stopped what she was doing and looked at me. "So you're telling me that you never thought about your first day of high school ever? Your first day of school since grade school?"

I shrugged my shoulders again. "I'm a dude, I'm not as emotional over things like this."

"But aren't you at least a little bit excited for the first day of your last year of high school? she asked, grabbing my free hand.

"I guess I'm a little excited" Katniss smiled and gave me a quick kiss, and then we tried on the clothes she gathered around the store.

Katniss and I were starting school soon, and man was she excited. She was excited to be a senior at the local high school. The reason we were able to be on time with our schooling was because of the prison. A tutor would come to the prison four days a week and teach us our schooling. Even though we were prisoners, it was still required that we get our education. And apparently, that amount of schooling was enough to keep us on time.

This year, Katniss wanted to make a statement. This was our first, and last year of high school. She didn't want to be known as the kid who was put in prison for chopping up a body. No, she wanted people to know her for now, not her past. The last thing she wants is for people to judge her for something like that, especially since she didn't do it.

Katniss asked for my opinion on all of the clothes she wore, even though I wasn't much help. For one, I'm a guy, I don't know much about style. Two, in my eyes, she looks good in everything. She keeps asking me to tell the truth, and I do, but she doesn't believe me anyway.

"Okay, how about these," Katniss asked, coming out with another pair of jeans.

"They look great, babe. Really, they do." I answered truthfully. "Those are my favorite"

She rolled her eyes. "You're just saying that because I'm your girlfriend."

"Well, what kind of answer are you expecting?"

"Truthful ones."

"You really want the truth?"

She threw her arms in the air. "Yes! That's all I'm asking."

I stood up from the chair I was sitting in. if she wanted the truth, she can have it. "Okay! I truthfully think that these really do look good on you. I like them the best because they make your butt look really, _really_ good. I think skinny jeans look the best on you. But of course, the most beautiful girl in the world looks good, no, _great_ in everything" She asked for it.

Katniss just looked at me, her mouth slightly ajar. I know she wasn't expecting that answer. I walked over to her and put my arms around her waist, bringing her closer. She just blinked at me, still shocked by my previous statement. I moved a few stray strands of hair that fell in front of her face.

"Everything I said was the truth. And no, I'm not just saying it because you're my girlfriend. Like for one, I don't like this shirt," I said, tugging on the hem. "It doesn't compliment your figure; too baggy"

I went back to my original seat and plopped back into it. Katniss went back into the little dressing room, saying that she was done trying on clothes.

"What! I was enjoying the show." That comment earned me a crumpled shirt thrown at my face.

* * *

Katniss really got me thinking about the whole school year thing later that evening. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got. But I wasn't excited for what other guys might think. Other guys were probably hoping that this year is the year they beat their record for the most girlfriends, or if they are going to get laid this year.

I wasn't excited for those types of things. I was excited for the football games I could take Katniss to. Or homecoming, where I could take Katniss, and I could see her eyes light up as she enters the dance. I can't wait to see Katniss in her prom dress, or how she would hold me when we do a slow dance. I know, lame right?

I looked back at Katniss, who was currently sitting between my legs. Her head was resting on my shoulder as she watched TV. Even though my butt was killing me from sitting on the floor, I knew Katniss liked sitting in this position, so I dealt with it.

Katniss must've felt me staring at her, because she looked up at me and gave me a questioning look. I just shook my head and smiled.

"I love you, you know that right?" I whispered.

"I know," she smiled. "I love you, too."

She then leaned into me and gave me a long, gentle kiss on the lips. After we parted, we heard the lock to the front door jiggle and rattle. The front door swung open and Katniss' family came into the house. Katniss' mom, Mrs. Everdeen, came and gave Katniss and I a kiss on the top of our heads. Mr. Everdeen gave a kiss on Katniss' head first. I leaned my head up and gave him a sly grin, teasing him a little bit, but all he does is pat me on the head a couple of times.

Last but not least, Katniss' younger sister came through the door. Her name was Prim. Katniss loved her with all of her heart. She was turning fifteen soon, and Katniss was sad and excited at the same time. I mean, Katniss missed 8 years of her little sister's life. The last time she saw her was when she was six years old. And they only saw each other on the very limited visits at the prison. Katniss was glad to see her baby sister all grown up, but was sad that she didn't see her get there.

Prim came and sat next to Katniss and I, giving a hug to both of us.

"Hey, Little Duck," Katniss greeted.

Prim rolled her eyes. "Would you stop calling me that, I am not little anymore."

"But, you will always be my little duck."

We talked for a little bit longer until Katniss' parents called us in for dinner. We all sat around the kitchen table and piled our plates.

"So," Mr. Everdeen started. "Are y'all three excited for the first day of school tomorrow?"

Katniss and Prim nodded their heads eagerly. I, on the other hand, just smiled and nodded a couple of times. But the mood turned serious when Mr. Everdeen looked at me.

"Things are going to be tough for the two of you," he told us, eyeing between Katniss and I. "And I want y'all to be safe." Mr. Everdeen looked back at me again. "And I want you to make sure my daughter stays safe."

"Dad," Katniss sighed. "He already does that."

"I know," he said back calmly. "Just making sure."

I decided to speak up and cleared my throat. "Don't worry Mr. Everdeen, I'll make sure nothing happens to Katniss. I wouldn't let anything happen, actually."

Mr. Everdeen smiles and pats my shoulder. "Good. That's the answer I want to hear." He turned his attention to Prim. "And you, no boys, unless I approve of."

"Dad!" Prim whined.

"Oh," he looked over to me again. "Peeta has to approve him as well."

"What! That's not fair!" she argued. "Katniss had a boyfriend at my age. And she didn't have to have two guys approve on him!" She pointed over to me. "And he's a bad boy! You wouldn't approve if I brought home a bad boy."

Everybody at the table starts to laugh at Prim's arguments. Katniss wraps her arms around one of mine and looks at Prim.

"Well, Dad couldn't be there to approve Peeta. Plus, he isn't a bad boy," she poked my chest. "He's a total softie."

"Hey! I'm not a total softie. Like I won't be a softie when Prim brings a boy home," I said. "But don't worry Prim, I'll go easy on him." I then cracked my knuckles loudly, making another round of laughter erupt from the table.

We finished dinner and cleaned our mess. Katniss and her mom were washing dishes while Mr. Everdeen and I were talking at the table. Soon the kitchen was clean and we all retreated to our rooms. Katniss and I were lying on my bed in my room. She was lying next to me, our hands intertwined.

"Did you ever think that we would end up here?" Katniss asked me.

I looked over to her. "What do you mean? Like me living with you?"

"No, I mean, did you ever think that we would ever get out?"

"No," I answered honestly. I didn't think we would ever get out. "I thought since after we escaped the prison, we definitely wouldn't get out. I didn't think we would get a retrial instead."

"I didn't think so either," she whispered. "I didn't expect them to catch the guy who actually did our crimes as well. And they caught him before the retrial jury came back with the verdict."

She changed her position to lying on her stomach, so she was facing me. She gave me a small smile and kissed my cheek. I wrapped my arm loosely around her waist.

"All that matters is that we are out now," I said. "And we are going to start fresh, a clean slate."

She nodded at me, the small amount of nervousness that was in her eyes have left. I pulled her down and pressed her lips to mine. She immediately molded into me as we deepened it. Her hands went into my hair as mine went to her lower back. God, this girl was going to be the end of me.

We broke away but kept our foreheads together. She kissed my nose and got off the bed. I sat up and leaned against the pillows.

"You're leaving me?" I questioned

"Yeah, don't want to be tired on the first day of school."

"Well how about you sleep in here with me?"

"I would, but if my dad found us in the morning, he would kill you."

I sighed in defeat and walked over to Katniss. I wrapped my arms around her waist as hers went around my neck. I bent down and kissed her neck, the spot where the mole is. She brought my head back to her face and kissed me once on the lips.

"Night, love you" I whispered.

She hugged me close, resting her head on my chest. This reminded me of the small routine we did before we went to bed in the prison. Katniss pulled away and kissed me again.

"Night, love you," she repeated before retreating to her room.

I closed the door and l laid back on the bed. School started tomorrow, and I knew it was going to be one interesting year. Was I ready for it, no, but it was something I had to face. And here it comes.

**How did y'all like the first chapter? Love it? Hate it? Please tell me in the reviews. If you think my story has any problems, just tell me and I'll fix them. But I can't fix them if you don't tell me. follow and favorite! Until next time….**

**Jessica**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back with another chapter! Thanks for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites! They mean so much to me! So for those, here is a new chapter. ENJOY!**

Chapter 2: Peeta POV

_Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. Squeak._ Ugh, why is there so much noise?

Wait, why is the bed moving?

I opened my eyes and squint from the light coming through the window. I opened my eyes a little more to find a pair of legs jumping, one leg on each side on my hips. I smile, already knowing its Katniss. Katniss stops jumping on the bed and sits on top of me, straddling me. She put her hands on my chest and shook it slightly.

"C'mon Peeta, get up! It's the first day of school and you need to get up!" she shouted slightly. I could tell she was trying not to be too loud. I grabbed her hands so she could stop shaking my chest. I sat up to the sitting position while Katniss adjusted herself. She put her hands on my shoulders as mine went to her lower back.

"Hold up," I sighed groggily. "What time is it?"

"It's time for you to get up, that's what time it is."

I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'm up."

"Good," she said before she climbed off the bed. She started to leave the room before I stopped her.

"Wait. I know you don't think that you can come this close to me and leave without giving me a kiss, or at least a good morning," I joked. She smirked as she came back to the bed. She gave me a kiss and pulled away slightly.

"Good morning," she murmured against my lips.

"That's better." I kissed her again and slipped out of bed. The day that I have been hoping and dreading for is finally here; my first day of high school.

I finally dragged myself into the shower that was connected to my room. When I finished, I found an outfit laid out on my bed with a note on top. Confused, I opened the note. It read:

_Make an impression_

_Love you, babe,_

_Katniss_

I smile at Katniss' efforts and put the outfit on. A slimming short sleeved white cargo shirt with dark jeans. Katniss knew what she was doing. I walked down stairs and made myself a bowl of cereal. Katniss soon joined me at the table with her breakfast. Katniss could barely hold in her excitement. She could barely sit still in her chair. I laughed to myself and shook my head.

"You're really excited, huh," I mumbled with my mouth full. But Prim answered before she could.

"Yeah! I mean, who wouldn't be?"

Katniss nodded at her sister's statement and shoveled more food into her mouth. I forgot that her sister is coming to school with us. This is her first day of high school as well, but as a freshman. And she was as excited as anyone could be. I would say she was almost as excited as Katniss. And just as I finished the thought, Katniss was skipping to the sink, sang as she washed her bowl, skipped over to Prim, kissed her head, kissed my cheek, and skipped out of the room while singing. Yeah, no one could get as excited as Katniss.

With time to kill before the three of us had to leave, I turned the TV onto the news. I watch a few stories and a report about sports before I was about to turn it off, but the next story had my name written all over it, literally.

"_Ex-convicts, Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen are starting school in Sugar Land today. The teens were released earlier this summer after a retrial in court. Even though they were wrongfully convicted of the crime, some people don't want them around them in the public school system."_

"Peeta, let's go!" I heard Katniss yell from the front of the house.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec," I yelled back. I looked back at the TV and saw that the station was getting opinions of civilians. A lady with three kids was currently being interviewed.

"_I wouldn't want teenage criminals near my kids. They could be potentially harmful and a risk to the other kids. They could also influence the other kids as well. I don't think they should be around the other kids at all. They shouldn't even be allowed in the public school system."_

I frowned. Even though they know we were wrongfully convicted, they still treat us like criminals. Another younger man was on the screen now.

"_Well, if they didn't commit the crime, then they aren't bad kids. They shouldn't cause any trouble, right? I think they should be able to go to school like the rest of the kids."_

I smiled. Someone who understands.

"_I don't know," _another one said. "_Sure they didn't commit the crime, but they still spent time in prison. They could've picked up some bad habits in there and could be bad for the other people around them."_

"Peeta come on! We're going to be late!" Katniss sounded angry this time.

"Coming!" I turned off the TV and grabbed my bag. I met Katniss at the door, who had her hands on her hips.

"What was taking you so long?" she huffed.

"Nothing, I just couldn't find my phone," I lied. I wasn't going to tell Katniss about the news cast. It would've ruined her whole mood. Once Katniss was in the driver's seat, she gave me a huge smile.

"Let's go!" she squealed. Yep, I definitely wasn't telling her about the news story.

* * *

"Hey guys! I thought you guys would never get here," Finnick greeted when Katniss and I arrived at the front of the school.

Finnick and Annie go to the same school as us. Unfortunately, Taftan and Johanna are a grade ahead of us, so they left for college a couple weeks ago. But his cousins, Delly and Madge, go here as well. It made me feel a little better that I knew a few people instead of not knowing anyone.

"Yeah, I would've been here sooner if Peeta didn't hold me up," Katniss added. I rolled my eyes. I tuned back into the conversation when Annie tapped me on my shoulder.

I shook my head and looked at her, but she looked at me expectantly.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said," she started again. "do you want me to show you where you get your schedule? Ya know, since you're new here." I nodded and followed her inside.

All three of us shoved past kids in the crowded hallways as we tried to make our way to the counselor's office. I saw a few kids give us dirty looks for being the new kids. Others looked like they recognized us. I guess they saw that news cast as well. It looked like a lot of kids did.

We finally made it to the counselor's office and Annie had to go off to class. Katniss and I went to the desk and took our bags off of our shoulders.

"Hi," I greeted the lady. "Uh, we're new here. And a friend of ours told us to come here to get our schedules and stuff."

The lady looks at us from above her glasses and hands over a clipboard.

"Sign in," she deadpanned. "You'll have to wait a few minutes." We signed in and sat in the chairs across the room. Soon the bell rang, signaling the kids that they had ten minutes to get to class, came and went. The tardy bell rang as well by the time a lady, which was too happy in the morning for my taste, came over to us and handed us our schedules, textbooks, and our locker numbers and combinations.

"Since you both are new and we knew that y'all two knew each other as well, we pulled a few strings and made most of yawls classes together." The lady smiled. We thanked the lady and left the office. We put some of our stuff in our lockers and headed off to homeroom, which we had together. Katniss grabbed onto my hand as we walked down the hallway. Once we reached the classroom, I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before knocking on the door and entering.

Everybody's eyes went to us as soon as we entered the room. I heard some snickering right off the bat. The teacher told us to grab a seat. Luckily, there were a couple of empty seats in the back corner of the classroom. Katniss and I took our seats as our homeroom teacher explained the school's rules and regulations. Soon, the teacher was done and told us not to get too loud.

"I heard the girl sleeps with any guy that walks by," a blonde says across the room after a while. I immediately knew they were talking about us.

"I heard the boy has anger issues," a dark haired girl said. "I would stay away from them if I were you. They're pot heads."

I looked at Katniss, who was looking down at her hands. She heard them. I moved my chair closer to her and grabbed her hand, which caused her to look up at me.

"Ignore them. They don't know anything," I whispered

"I'm trying to, but it's hard to."

Thankfully, the bell rang, signally us to go to first period. I continued to hear more and more rumors as the day went by. The same sideways glances I get in the hallway as Katniss and I walk to class, and it's killing me. I could easily tell that the rumors were getting to Katniss. Her mood slowly went downhill after homeroom, her smile slowly fading into a small frown.

Katniss and I walked into fourth period, which is thankfully art class. In the room were tables that sat up to five people. Just like the rest of the classes, Katniss and I took the seats away from everyone. Soon, the classroom started to fill up with students. I thought the table was just going to be me and Katniss until a girl came and sat down across from Katniss.

She had wavy, auburn colored hair, and eyes looked…violet? She had a very small frame, but she still had curves. And she had a smile so big; you had to be blind to not see it.

"Oh my God, it's actually you!" she beamed at us. She stuck her hand out towards Katniss. "Hi, name's Aspen and I've wanted to meet you all day."

Katniss took her hand and shook it. "Katniss. It's nice to meet you."

"There's Aspen," I heard a boy say across the room. Two guys came to the table and took the last two seats. They all squeezed on one side of the table. They looked exactly the same; jet black hair, striking green eyes, strong jaw lines, and defining muscles.

"Look Ryder, it's them! It's Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark," she told him, grabbing his shoulder.

Ryder stuck out his hand towards me and I shook it. "I'm Ryder, and this is my twin, Ryker." I shook Ryker's hand as well. He nodded at me and slumped back down in his seat. The table was silent until Aspen started talking again.

"When I saw you two on the news a few years ago, it was crazy. I was watching the whole time and I was rooting for y'all," she told us. "Oh and that show down, when you kissed her despite with guns pointed at you. And you didn't let go of her hand until like the last second. That was so romantic."

"She's a big fan," Ryder added. "Ever since y'all were captured, she has been signing petitions, gone to sittings in front of the courthouse with about a thousand other people so y'all could get a retrial, everything."

"Thank you," I said to her. "That means a lot, that you cared that much."

She shook her head and waved her hand. "Oh it was nothing. I just really admired how much you cared and loved Katniss," she then looked to Ryder. "How come you can't be romantic like that?"

Ryder ignored her question and turned to me. "I've known you for two minutes and you are already making me look bad." He gave off a single laugh and wrapped his arm around Aspen.

Aspen kept talking to Katniss, her chair slowly scooting closer to my girlfriend. Ryder and Ryker were talking about which football team was better and was more likely to make it to the super bowl. I wasn't interested in either conversation, so I decided to touch up on one of my drawings. Ryker looked at my sketch pad and asked if he could see it. I nodded and he flipped to the beginning of the book.

"Looks like lover boy here can draw," he pointed out as he flipped through it. Aspen took a look at it and her eyes went wide.

"You're really good," she complimented. "Can you draw me something?"

I looked at the clock and saw that we had about twenty minutes left this class period, so I said yes. I took back my sketch pad and drew a scene I saw earlier. I drew Aspen and Ryder; his arm was around her shoulders and he was looking down at her with a small smile on his face. Aspen was smiling, looking back up at Ryder. It was a small moment I caught before Aspen went back to talking to Katniss.

The bell rang as I put the finishing touches on the drawing. I put my signature at the bottom corner of the page and passed it to Aspen. She gasped at the picture and surprised me with a hug.

"Thank you so much. It's beautiful." I copied what she did earlier and just shook my head and waved my hand.

"Oh it was nothing. Just a quick sketch," I said. Aspen went to show Ryder the picture as they walked down the hallway.

Ryder looked back at me and yelled, "See you guys at lunch," before he grabbed Aspen's hand and disappearing around the corner. I grabbed Katniss' hand as we headed to our next class. Katniss' smile was back on her face and she seemed to have her mood from this morning again. I smile at Katniss and wrapped my arm around her hip. Her arm went around my waist as we went to music class with grins on our faces.

* * *

Ryder Kept his word and sat with us at lunch later that day. The rest of the day went by with no hitches or trouble. We met up with Prim at the front of the school and went home. I found Katniss later on that evening in her room, laid out on the bed. I slipped in next to her and she immediately curled up into my side, her head on my chest.

"What's bothering you?" I asked concerned.

"I was just thinking about some of the things I heard today," she admitted.

I sighed and wrapped my arm around her. "They don't know us, Katniss. What they say doesn't matter."

"I know it doesn't matter. They still hurt."

"Just forget about them, they're just rumors."

"I know. But they are judging us already and they don't even know us." she sat up and ran her hands through her hair. She turned around so she was facing me. "I mean, with all of these things being said about us, it's as if we are still in prison, trapped in a box of lies."

I sat up. "So what are you saying?"

She sighed and put her hands in her lap. "I mean, sure we are out of prison. But what's the point if everyone is still accusing us of things we didn't do? It's as if we aren't really free. You know what I mean?"

I nodded my head and grabbed her hands in mine. "But things will get better from here."

"You promise?" she asked me with hope in her eyes.

"I promise." And I sealed the promise with a kiss.

**There's chapter two! And the title of the story was introduced! How did I do? Review, Follow, and Favorite! Until next time….**

**Jessica**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello my readers! I would have updated a couple of days ago but I was so caught up on the Zimmerman case. Not guilty…load of bull. Some people are saying that the case was not about race, but it so was. I mean, if the races were reversed, they would've gotten the guilty verdict so quick, and y'all know it's true. I mean, I know it's true by personal experience. I was followed around in a gas station because I'm black and was wearing a hoodie. It's just….disappointing. I'm just…I don't know how to describe how I'm feeling. I'm….done. That's how I'm feeling. Done. I want to know some of yawl's opinions on the case. Just PM me or something. **

**But here is the next chapter. And to the guest reviewer, yes, I'm from Texas, that's why there is a lot of 'y'all's. Plus, this story is taking place in Texas, so I put 'y'all's on purpose. But we do say y'all a lot down here. We don't say 'you all', which is the proper way. ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

Chapter 3: Peeta POV

I have to admit, the second day of school hasn't been as nearly as bad as the first so far. I haven't been hearing as many rumors as I did yesterday. I bet the kids started to know that the rumors aren't affecting me, or Katniss. And with the school still switching people around, Aspen, Ryder, and Ryker have been switched into a few of our classes. I now have Ryder in a few more of my classes, but Katniss now has Aspen in all of her classes. You could tell that Aspen was ecstatic, I mean, she was jumping up and down while holding Katniss' hands. But I could tell that Katniss was secretly happy as well; happy that she now had a friend in every one of her classes.

Right now, I was in a class that I didn't have with Katniss, PE. I did have this class with Ryker, though, so I wasn't totally alone. Ryker seems a little bit quieter than his brother Ryder, either that or he is just quiet around me. He must be warming up to me though, because he stuck to my side all the way outside to the open field.

It was blistering hot outside. It was over one hundred degrees outside, and I was already sweating through my shirt. I think there is a law that PE teachers aren't supposed to take class outside if it's over ninety degrees outside. I could tell that they totally disregarded that law. I guess they don't care if we overheat and have a heat stroke or pass out.

Since yesterday was the first day of school, they didn't make us do anything in any of our classes. But today, we actually started doing work. And PE was no exception. All of the boys were forced outside to play flag football. All of us were complaining of the heat, how that this was not fun, but a cruel punishment.

"Oh come on," the coach yelled. "it's not that hot out here you babies."

I rolled my eyes. The man has a small hand held fan attached to the side of his visor, so it was hitting his face while not blocking his view. Of course he isn't hot. I just shifted uncomfortably while the coach chose team captains. The first kid the coach chose was a tall, brute looking boy with blonde hair named Cato. The next person coach chose was a tall, but skinny boy, but I didn't hear his name.

They stood in front of us, their arms crossed, inspecting us. Coach told Cato that he got the first pick before going to sit down at a bench. Cato stood in front of us, looking through the crowd. I mean, there weren't many of us to choose from anyway. He ended up choosing a boy named Marvel. Marvel was tall and skinny, but he had muscle. He had darker hair and had a mean look in his eyes. The two boys looked like they were up to no good.

People were picked and the crowed was getting smaller and smaller. But surprisingly, I was chosen about when the group was about half gone. Ryker was soon put onto my team and I was relieved. I didn't want to tackle him. Soon, there was a pause in the making of the teams. I looked around, seeing what the problem was. I realized that Cato was looking for someone. I saw him squinting hard, and then his eyes lit up. He waved someone towards him. A boy with tanned skin, dark hair, and gray eyes appeared from the crowd.

Gale.

What was he doing here? I thought I was done with him for good. Now he attends the same school I do? And what's worse, he wasn't the little fourteen year old I saw in that abandoned building. He was now very muscular and strong looking. My hands clenched into fist as he walked over to Cato. They did some type of bro hug as gale merged in with the other kids. His eyes landed on mine, and a smirk found his way onto his face

I felt a hand on my shoulder; Ryker. His eyes questioned me, secretly asking me what was going on.

"I'll tell you later," I murmured to him. He gave me a single nod before giving his attention to our team captain. He gave us a game plan for us to follow and we set up on the field. The boy I was supposed to tackle is a very small weakling. When the game started, I took him down too easily. I stood up and brushed myself off, looking for someone else to tackle. But before I knew what was happening, I was ransacked from the side, and I was on the ground. My attacker shoves my shoulders before getting up.

"That," he huffed. "is payback from three years ago. And this won't be our last encounter." Of course it was Gale. Who else would've it been? He stalked off before Ryker came over and helped me up.

"You okay man?" he asked me

"Yeah, I'm alright," he nodded and went back onto the yard line.

We continued to play football for a little while longer after that. I made a couple of touch downs and made a few pretty good passes. I was actually in a pretty good mood until Gale sacked me from the side again.

"Watch where you're going, prison boy," he warned, even though he was the one that ran into me. Cato and Marvel laughed with Gale as he walked off again. Okay, now I'm mad. I know Katniss doesn't want me getting into trouble, especially with starting a new life and all, but Gale has pushed me too far.

We lined up on a yard line again, but my eyes were solely on Gale. As soon as our quarterback said hut, I was on the charge for Gale. Gale must've expected that I was coming and turned to face me as I approached. Bad move. I tackled him low, near his hips. My hands grabbed hips firmly, and I threw him over my head. Gale flew over my head. I quickly turned around and punched Gale's nose as he came down behind me. Gale landed on his back, successfully knocking the air out of him. His hands went to his face as he groaned on the ground.

"Don't. Mess. With. Me," I snapped before walking away. Good thing coach didn't see that.

Class was over by then and it was time to go in and change. The coach saw some of my playing out on the field and wanted me to try out for varsity football. Even though tryouts were before summer, there was a second try-out during the first week of school. The try-outs were tomorrow after school.

"I want to see you there," Coach told me. I just gave him a nod before leaving the locker room. Ryker soon caught up with me in the hallway, and man was he confused.

"What the hell was that?" he questioned me, yelling slightly.

"What was what?" Aspen asked as she walked up with Katniss and Ryder. Katniss raised her eyebrows at me. I sighed deeply. I knew I had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

We all decided to go to the park after school. It was a nice and quiet place to talk. I procrastinated by buying a lemonade a nearby stand. But they soon got frustrated and forced me to talk. Ryker literally shoved my shoulders, forcing me to the ground.

"Stop messing around Mellark. What was that in PE?" Ryker demanded.

"Ryker," His brother put his hand on Ryker's shoulder. "We've only known them for two days. They don't owe us an explanation for anything."

"No," I said. "It's alright. I told Ryker I would tell him." Everybody calmed down a little bit as we all got comfortable on the ground.

"Well," I started, swallowing my drink. "That guy got on my nerves so I got him back, that's all."

"No way man. You gave him a death glare before the game even started. Y'all have a past." Ryker countered.

Katniss took my drink and took a sip out of it. "Who is he talking about babe?"

"This big guy named Gale," Ryker informed her.

Katniss' eyes immediately went big, and then she started choking on the lemonade. She coughed a few times before regaining her composure.

"Gale?!" she asked surprised. "He goes to school with us?" I nodded.

"Ugh," Aspen was shaking her head. "That kid is a pain in the ass"

"What happened between you and Gale, Peeta?" Ryder asked

"It's a long story," Katniss says. Everybody else just stared at Katniss. I guess I was talking.

"When we escaped the prison, we stayed at a house right out the city. The house was in the ghetto though, and it was raided by drug lords while we were there. Katniss was taken hostage and I had to go get her. Turned out that Gale's uncle was the head of everything, even in the kidnapping of Katniss. Gale tried to keep Katniss for himself."

"How did you get Katniss back?" Aspen asked

"I gathered some people and we got her out of there. But I didn't get out of there before I had to confront Gale." I answered.

"Did you kick his ass?" Ryker questioned. "Is that why he brought you down during football?" I nodded. I got a high-five from Ryder and a slap on the back from Ryker.

"So," Ryder sighs. "That explains the background. But what happened in PE?"

"Oh dude," Ryker started before I could. "Peeta here like totally took him down. Peeta tackled him head on, threw him over his head, and punched him in the nose! It was so cool! Gale was down for a minute."

"Did you really do that?" Aspen asked, her eyes wide. I nodded.

"He had a lot of anger." I guessed. "And he took it out on me." I looked over to Katniss. "He's still pissed from all of those years ago. So, watch out for him."

There was an awkward silence before I decided to break it.

"Well in other news," I started again. "Coach asked me to try out for football tomorrow. He said that I could make varsity."

"So are you going to try out?" Katniss asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Oh c'mon, Peeta!" Aspen and Ryder chorused. "You should totally try out. Show them not to mess with the prison boy!"

"I think you should try out babe," Katniss says. "Get out of your comfort zone."

I shrugged again. "I don't know guys."

Katniss wrapped both of her arms around one of mine. "Please? Do it for me?"

Katniss was giving me the eyes again. Ryder, Ryker, and Aspen all started laughing. A smile came on my face as I shook my head.

"Oh no. Those eyes got me before but this time I'm immune. I won't give in this time."

* * *

I can't believe I gave in. I'm so weak. And because of my low amount of self-control, I'm now on the hot field, wearing a bulky uniform and large equipment. I stood awkwardly off to the side as I waited for the try-outs to start.

"Peeta," yelled the coach from across the field as he approached me. "You made it! Now show me what you got."

I nodded at Coach before he walked away. I looked at the bleachers, where my crowd was sitting. Katniss, Finnick, Annie, Aspen, Ryder, and Ryker were all in the bleachers supporting me. I saw Katniss give me a thumbs up, which I returned with a smile. Taftan's cousin's boyfriends, Bannock and Graham, were there as well. But they were there mostly for their girlfriends, which were having cheer practice out on the track.

I finally heard the whistle that initiated the start of the try- outs. I started walking towards the center of the field when I was shoved forward. Cato, Marvel, and Gale all passed by, smirking at me.

"You're gonna have to keep up prison boy," Marvel shouted.

"Don't want me to look too good in front of your girl, now would we," Gale taunted. My hands fisted together again as I jogged towards the center field.

Coach split us into two groups and tested us in certain areas. Unfortunately, I was stuck with Gale. Coach came with our group while other teachers went with the other groups. Coach started to pair people up to tackle one another. Soon, I was called to tackle Gale. I kneeled down into position while Gale did the same.

"Don't worry," he said. "I won't make you look_ too_ bad in front of your girl. Just bad enough."

My face tightened as I waited for the whistle. Gale was able to tackle me the first time, but not after that. I tackled him time after time, and with ease. After my turn was over, Gale gave a glare, which I knew meant I was in for trouble later.

"Woo, go Peeta!" I heard Katniss shout from the stands. Annie was cheering me on as well. Finnick took off his shirt and was waving it around over his head. I shook my head as the try- outs went on. I was at the catch-and-pass station as I overheard the cheerleaders.

"These cheers are getting old," one complained.

"Yeah," yelled Finnick from the stands. "Y'all need some new ones."

"Oh, I have one," said a girl named Glimmer. "S-L-U-T! What does that spell? Katniss!"

Glimmer and a girl with dark hair started laughing as they went to the water table. I looked down at the football in my hands, and an evil idea popped into my head. I took a few steps backwards and took aim. I threw the ball and…BAM! The ball skid across the table, sending all of the cups of water into the air. The water splashed on the two girls. They shrieked as the cold water hit their skin. I heard a positive reaction from my cheer team in the bleachers. Then Annie and Katniss both got up in their seats.

"W-H-O-R-E! what does that spell? Glimmer!" they chanted. I smiled at Katniss, who returned it. Glimmer and her little friend gave me a glare. I just returned a sheepish "sorry" look. They gruffed and stormed off the field.

Fortunately, the try-outs were over and I hit the showers. I walked out of the locker room and back towards the bleachers. I was greeted by Katniss first when she ran into my chest.

"You did great," she told me.

"I only tried my best for you," I responded. She smiled and gave me a kiss. She also told me that everyone else already left and gone home. I nodded at her and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, let's go home. I have a surprise for you," she told me. I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh do you now," I laughed as we headed to the car.

"Hey, Peeta!"

I turned around to see the coach striding towards me. I stopped and waited for him to catch up.

"What's up coach?"

"I just wanted to catch you and tell you that you made the team. The results weren't supposed to go up until Friday, but that's only because us coaches need to think it over. But with you, there's nothing to think about. I just wanted to tell you so you weren't wondering all week."

"Well, thank you, sir," I say shocked.

"You deserved it," he said. "See you tomorrow." And he left.

Katniss was practically jumping in excitement next to me.

"Congratulations Peeta!" she squealed next to me. "Aren't you glad I made you try out? Now you're in a sport!"

I rolled my eyes "Yeah, yeah. But now you have to do something for me."

"Oh, and what might that be?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

**Again I'm sorry about the wait between this and the last chapter. Review, follow, and favorite! I LOVE EVERY ONE OF MY READERS! Until next time….**

**Jessica**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi my readers! Long time no see, and I apologize for that. But here's an extra-long chapter! I won't keep you waiting any longer. ENJOY!**

Chapter 4: Peeta POV

I never really got the saying "time flies when you're having fun". Probably because I never really got to have fun since the escape from prison, but now I do. After the first rough days, school has actually been pretty fun, because next thing I know, it's already the end of September, five weeks into school, and school hasn't been that bad.

But right now, time was going very slow. I was stuck in English class, where our teacher was writing something on the board. Katniss loved this class, and so did every other girl that was lucky enough to be assigned to his class. Every girl loved the teacher, Mr. Crane; with his supposedly good looks, perfect hair and beard, and a great body, which to them, made the class a lot more interesting. Katniss said she didn't like the class for those reasons, though. She says that she likes it for all the reading we get to do, or all the free writing. But I know secretly she did think like the class because this is the teacher she is most comfortable with. Mr. Crane has that effect on a lot of students.

Mr. Crane turned around from the board and faced the class. The board read "YEAR LONG PROJECT" in huge purple letters, and the class groaned.

"Oh just let me explain it," Mr. Crane justified. The class settled down as the teacher put the marker back down.

"Yes, this is a yearlong project, but it is not a lot of work," he started but was soon cut off by another student.

"Well if it's not a lot of work, then why are you giving us a year to do it?" the kid asked

"I'm just giving you a lot of time to work on it. So by the time it's due, this project should be perfect." he explained. He paused for any more questions before he continued. "The real project is pretty much an oral biography report. You will choose a person who has been through some sort of struggle, whether it was poverty, sickness, or unintentional trouble, such as kidnapping. But here's the catch, the trouble couldn't have come from that person's bad actions."

The same kid from earlier raised his hand. "Does this person have to be real?"

Mr. Crane gave the kid a look. "Of course the person has to be real. The point of the project is to grasp the real world troubles people had in the past, or even now."

"What's the time period that we have to choose these people from?" another kid asked.

"Any time period you want," the teacher answered. "The reason we are doing this project because starting in October, we are going to be reading books about people and their struggles in different time periods, like the great depression, or World War I."

Mr. Crane passed out a stack of papers. I took a sheet and passed the stack to Annie, who was sitting next to me. the piece of paper was split up into two columns, 'the can' and 'the cannot'.

"This is a list of people you can and cannot do. On the 'cannot' side are real people mentioned in the books we are reading, so those people will be too easy to do, so you're not allowed to do those. But to help you, I have provided some people you can do, hence the 'can' side." Mr. Crane explained. "Any questions?"

Annie raised her hand. "Yeah, uh, I got your note saying that you wanted to make out later, and I just wanted to ask you what time you wanted me to meet you here."

Mr. Crane just laughed. "Any real questions?"

Katniss raised her hand. "Yeah, Peeta and I were wondering when you were going to let us have a sample of your butt?"

My eyes widened. "What?"

Mr. Crane rolled his eyes. "Any questions that aren't pertaining to my body?"

Aspen raised her hand. "Are you busy on Saturday?"

The class laughed as the bell rang, signaling that the class was over. I gathered my stuff and swung my bag around my shoulder. Katniss was walking slightly ahead of me, walking with Aspen and Annie. I stayed back and talked to Ryder and Ryker.

"Bye Mr. Crane," the three girls chorused as we left the classroom.

I shook my head as we walked to lunch. Finnick caught up with us on our way to lunch and started talking with the rest of us guys. We all gathered at the lunch table and sat our stuff down before getting in the lines. We all got our food and sit at the table. I realized that I forgot napkins and stood up to get some. I go back to the lines and quickly grabbed some napkins, balling them into my hand. I turned around to go back to my table, but I had to stop when I found two girls, that were apparently standing right behind me. Oh great, it's the same girls that were making fun of Katniss at the Football try-outs. They stood there with their arms crossed, but they also had sly grins on their faces.

"Hey, Peeta," Glimmer said, uncrossing her arms. "I was just looking for you."

"Uh, if this was about the water thing at the football try-outs, I just want to say that it was an accident," I lied, trying to get back to Katniss.

"Oh that's long forgotten," Glimmer came closer to me, walking into my comfort zone. "I just wondering if you were doing anything on Friday. We can hang out at my place, where I can…show you a few things."

One of her arms was wrapped around my bicep by this point. I pulled my arm out of her grasp. "No thanks. I have plans this weekend. Plus I ha-,"

"Or you can hang out with me instead," the girl with dark hair said. "My name is Clove, by the way. I have a hot tub in my backyard, and don't worry, you won't have to bring swim shorts." Clove had a finger that was stroking down my chest, and it didn't feel good.

I walked out of their grasps and turned around to face them. "I have a girlfriend, and I rather hang out with her this weekend."

"But why hang out with her when you can hang out with us? I mean, we are popular and pretty and she is just ghetto prison trash. A loser."

"Katniss is not ghetto prison trash or a loser! Don't say things like that about her!" I fumed. "If anything, y'all just described yourselves, trashy and losers." I walked off, leaving them at the lunch lines.

I finally found my way back to my lunch table, sitting next to Katniss. Without looking at me, she grabbed my hand under the table. I saw her body tense up from the corner of my eye. She looked up at me with concern in her eyes. She looked around the table to see that everybody else were in their little conversations.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm fine."

"I can tell that there is something bothering you."

"How could you even tell, you didn't even look at me."

She lifted out laced hands. "I felt it when I touched your hand."

"So you can tell how I'm feeling just by touching my hand?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it's like I can feeling it in your soul or something. It just felt off when I touched your hand. So tell me what's bothering you."

"It's nothing, really."

Katniss knitted her eyebrows together. "It's something, I can tell. This isn't over, we'll talk later."

I nodded at her and shoved some food into my mouth. I sat there silently most of lunch, holding Katniss' hand under the table. She gave a reassuring squeeze every once in a while throughout lunch. I occasionally looked up from my food, not really paying attention to any of the conversations, until Annie called my attention.

"Hey, Peeta, what do you think?" she asked.

"I think it's a great idea," I improvised, not knowing what she's talking about.

Annie turned to Katniss. "See! Even Peeta thinks it's a great idea!"

"Oh, Peeta has no idea what you're talking about," Katniss mumbled with her mouth full. "He always uses that line when he's not listening."

Annie rolled her eyes. "Peeta knew what we were talking about, didn't you, Peeta?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Katniss knows me too well. I had no idea what you were talking about."

Annie threw her hands into the air and the guys at the table erupted in laughter, some mumbling that they were going to use that line.

"But in all seriousness, what were you talking about, Annie?" I asked her.

"I was just asking your girlfriend here if she wants to join the swim team. There are a few people sick and we have a small team as it is, so we are desperate for substitute swimmers for the competition this weekend. And if they are good enough, the swim coach said that if the subs are good enough, he'll even let them on the team."

I looked at Katniss. "That does sound like a good idea. Why don't you want to do it?"

"Because," she sighed. "I'll just disappoint."

"What do you mean? You love to swim."

"Yeah, I do. But that doesn't mean I'm any good at it."

"But you're a great swimmer. You beat me in every swim race we've had."

Katniss just sighed in response, running her hand through her hair. "I don't know,"

"I think you should try out," I tell her. "Just give it a try. Please, for me?"

I give her my best version of my begging eyes. Katniss just pressed her lips together.

Finnick stuck his hand out towards me, his palm facing up. "Oh come on Katniss, look at him! You can't deny that face."

I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her into me. I put my chin on her shoulder. "Please, pretty, pretty please?"

Katniss relaxed into my touch and sighed. She was giving in, I could tell.

"Fine," she huffed. "I'll do it."

I smiled and gave Katniss on her cheek, knowing how she felt about public affection. Katniss just grabbed my hand under the table again.

"When does your coach want me to try out?" Katniss asked Annie.

"After school today, if that's okay with you."

Katniss looked at me. "You'll be there, right?"

I brought our joined hands from under the table and kissed her knuckles. "I would love to, but I have football practice after school today. But I will come right over to you after practice, okay?" she just huffed and nodded.

Soon the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. I gathered my trash and threw it away. When I met up with Katniss again, I wrapped my arms around her waist. Her arms went around my waist as well.

"I'll see you after school? Before practice?" I asked her, since we don't have our last two periods together. She nodded and tried to get out of my grasp, but I just held her tighter.

"Peeta, we have to get to class," she told me, still trying to get out of my arms.

"Don't you think you're getting away from me without giving me a kiss first?"

"But we're at school. And there are teachers around."

"I don't care. I just want a kiss from you."

Katniss smiled a bit before she realized she was supposed to be frustrated with me, and replaced her smile with a scowl. I put my begging eyes on again and stuck my bottom lip out.

"Please?" I begged. "I'm begging here."

Katniss rolled her eyes and stood on her tip toes and pecked my lips, but that wasn't enough for me. I pulled her back up for a second kiss, which lingered longer than the first. I pulled back and smiled at her.

"See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" I questioned.

She just smiled up at me. "No, it wasn't. I'll see you after school." She said and gave another kiss, much like the second one before walking off to her class. And I had a huge smile on my face as I walked off to my class.

* * *

**Katniss POV**

"Ouch, Annie, that hurts!" I groaned as she tried to put my hair in a swim cap.

"I'm sorry, Katniss. It's just that, you have a lot of hair."

I groaned as she put the last few strands of hair into the safety of the cap. I walked out to the pool area, where the other swim team members were waiting. I looked around and saw that I wasn't the only one trying out today. All of us waited a few moments before the swim coach entered the pool area. My eyes went wide at our coach.

"Mr. Crane is our coach?" I asked Annie. She nodded.

"Hello girls," Mr. Crane greeted us. "Since the competition this weekend is an all-girls competition, I told the guys that they didn't have to attend practice this week. Now, is there any people here trying out for the sub positions?"

I raised my hands with a few other girls in the room. Coach Crane nodded at the kids and told us to line up at the edge of the pool and told us to get into position. Coach Crane tested us on our speed, making us do laps in the pool. Soon, Coach let us get out of the pool, telling us that all of us were very good, or at least good enough to be subs.

"Good?" Annie cut in. "Katniss is great! She should be let on the team."

"Uh, she's good, Annie, but I don't know if she's that good," Coach Crane reasoned.

"What do you mean? She was way ahead of everyone else by half a pool!"

I did realize that I was ahead of everyone else. But I just thought that everyone was really slow, not that I was fast. Maybe I was as good as Peeta told me at lunch today.

"How about this," I cut in. "If I could beat you, Coach Crane, in a race, can I be on the team?" I challenged.

"Oh that's not fair, because no one has ever beaten me in a race."

"That could change. Are you scared that I could beat you?"

"No it's not that it's just-,"

"Then race me."

Coach Crane glared at me, thinking. Finally he agreed.

"Fine," he said, pulling his shirt off, leaving him in just a pair of shorts. He was all muscle, abs, and pecks under that shirt, he looked good. All of the girls hollered and screamed at Coach Crane's reveal.

Coach rolled his eyes. "You challenged me just to get my shirt off, didn't you?"

I shook my head. "No, I really just wanted to get on the team. A shirtless Coach Crane was just a bonus."

Coach and I got into position until another team member blew a whistle. I dove into the water, just focusing on swimming as fast as I can. At the end of the race, which consisted of multiple laps, I wiped the water from my eyes and looked to see if I won, but the sound in the room told me that I won, with cheering and yelling coming from everyone. I looked down the pool to see that Coach was only halfway down the pool.

I pulled myself out of the water, sitting on the edge with my feet dangling in the water. Coach finished not too long after I did. He was gasping and was wiping water out of his face. He finally looked at me, shock written all over his face.

"She beat me?" He asked no one in particular.

"Not only did Katniss beat you, but she beat you by seventeen seconds." Annie answered him. I smiled down at him, and he just shook his head. Coach just shook his head as he got out of the pool. I stood up and faced him.

"A deal's a deal, Everdeen. You're on the team. Congratulations," he told me.

"Thanks," I responded. "But I think beating the undefeated seventeen seconds deserves a hug." I reached my arms out, curling and uncurling my fingers. All of the girls were squealing as Coach Crane reached his arms out. I walked into his arms and gave him a hug. Man, he was firm, not as much as Peeta, but it was still impressive.

"Touch his butt," a girl yells.

"What?" Coach Crane asked confused, hesitating. He took too long to process what she said because it gave me enough time to bring my hands down and give him a quick, firm squeeze. I got out of his arms before he could react. All of the girls yelled in victory as I threw my hands in the air.

Coach just shook his head. "Are you happy now?"

"Happy? I'm ecstatic! I got to see you shirtless, beat you in a race, get on the swim team, hug and feel your chest, and I got to touch your butt! This is the best day of school ever!"

Everybody laughed as we went on with practice. Once practice was done, we went to change. But on the way there, Annie and I ran into Cato, Marvel, and…oh God…Gale.

"Hey, long time, no see," Gale said. Man, he wasn't the small kid I last saw him last. He's now buff, tall, and solid. I gulped, my mouth going dry.

"Move out of the way, Gale," Annie said sternly, her jaw clenched.

Ignoring Annie, Gale stood closer to me. "I have to say Katniss, you filled out nicely," He continued.

He reached to touch my arm, but I smacked it away. "Don't touch me," I growled.

He just smiled at me. "You'll be mine sooner or later."

"In your dreams." I walked past him with Annie in front of me. I thought it was over until I felt someone hit my butt. I turned around to see Gale smirking at me.

"You filled out very nicely there." He snickered. The guys laughed with Gale, and before I knew what I was doing, I stalked up to Gale, and slapped him across the face, hard. A look of shock registered on his face as I glared at him.

"I said don't…touch…me, asshole." I growled again through my teeth. I walked away for the second time. I kept myself from crying as I changed my clothes and walked out of the locker room with Annie. The three boys were nowhere in sight, which made me relax a little bit. Peeta was standing against the wall, holding a single rose. He saw us and gave me the rose.

"A pretty rose for a pretty girl," he announced before he kissed me.

"What's this for?" I asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Just thought I would get one for you."

I smiled and gave him another kiss. "Thanks, I love it."

We all walked out until we got to the parking lot, where Annie went to where Finnick was waiting for him. Peeta and I climbed into the car, and once all of the doors were shut, he got on me.

"Okay, now something is bothering you. What's getting at you?"

"Nothing," I mumbled. Peeta just grabbed my hand.

"Just tell me what happened."

I looked at him, knowing my famous scowl was on my face. "Not until you tell me what happened to you at lunch."

Peeta opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it. He sighed before finally speaking. "Glimmer and Clove were hitting on me earlier, that's all. They asked why I would date you when I could have them. That just really got under my skin; I called them trashy and walked off."

I covered my mouth, stifling a laugh, I bet he was red when those girls were to flirt with him. "You called them trash?"

He nodded "Now tell me what's bothering you."

"Gale was messing with me after swim practice. He was flirting with me and stuff."

Peeta's hands formed into fist, trying to hold in his anger. "What did he say to you?"

"He just harassed me, saying that I filled out nicely. I started to walk away when he…" my mouth suddenly went dry.

"He did what?" Peeta pushed.

"…he hit my butt," Peeta's face went red as his nostrils flared. "But I slapped him, and told him not to touch me again."

Peeta turned in his seat, his knuckles turning white from gripping the steering wheel.

"That asshole's gonna pay," Peeta growled.

I put my hand on Peeta's arm, trying to calm him. "Hey it's over now. Let's just move on. Don't do anything that will get you into trouble."

Peeta didn't respond to me as he started the car. The drive home was silent and very tense, neither of us daring to say a word. The next time either of us spoke was when Peeta asked me is he wanted dinner now, saying that he was reheating his. I told him that I did as I walked into the kitchen. After Peeta popped both of our plates into the oven, he turned to me. I wrapped his arms around his waist, and his went around mine.

"So," I said breaking the silence. "I made the team."

Peeta's eyes went big. "That's great! Congratulations!" he said, giving me a kiss.

"That's not all." I continued. He raised his eyebrows as I went on. "To get on the team, I had to beat the coach in a swimming race, who by the way, was Mr. Crane, so I got to see him with his shirt off. After I won the race, I got a hug. And do you know what I did with my opportunity?"

Peeta raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"I touched his butt."

Peeta's mouth dropped open, pretty much hitting the floor. "You didn't"

I was laughing by this point. "I so did!"

"So was it everything you dreamed of" he asked me.

"It was pretty firm," I said dreamily, teasing Peeta. "But I don't think it's as good as yours. I have to check."

I reached down and grabbed Peeta's butt. I put a look on my face that made me look like I was really thinking this over. After a moment, I removed my hands. "Nope, your butt is totally better."

Peeta laughed and kissed me. "You're just…just…"

"Funny, adorable, cute, smart, dazzling?" I listed.

"All of those, but you forgot one."

I gave him a questioning look. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"You're mine," he says, kissing me. "Forever,"

"And always." I finished for him.

**Again I'm sorry for the wait, but I hope this extra-long chapter was worth it. I do have to tell you that I start Band camp on August first, so I don't know how much I will be updating, but I'll try my best Review, Follow, and Favorite! Until next time….**

**Jessica**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello my readers! I'm so sorry for my long absence, trust me, I've missed y'all. Band is still crazy, but I've found some time to write for y'all. So way overdue, here's chapter 5. ENJOY!**

Chapter 5: Peeta POV

_Early October_

"See you guys, I have everything planned out. I'm going to fill her locker with flowers, but not so much that they spill out of it. And while she's all confused, I'll pop the question. It's perfect!"

I just shake my head as I grabbed another handful of chips. I was over at Finnick's house for "Guys Night", which really wasn't a guy's night. Finnick, Ryder, Ryker, and I just sat around, drinking sodas and playing cards, gambling with food. And currently, Finnick was telling us his plan on how he was going to ask Annie to homecoming this year.

"I don't know how I'm going to ask Aspen this year," Ryder admitted. "Since it's senior year, I want it to be extra special, something she'll never forget."

"I'm thinking about asking Bradley," Ryker confessed. I stopped chewing my chips, frozen by Ryker's confession. I never knew Ryker was like that.

"Oh man, that guy is cute," Finnick said, unaffected. "Good choice."

Ryker threw some chips at his head. "I was talking about Bradley Rhodes, you know, the _girl_ one."

Ryder was laughing and threw his cards down, nearly falling back in his chair. I sighed and shook my head once again. Bradley was a shy girl that was in our art class. She had dirty blonde hair and the biggest hazel eyes you have ever seen. She also had large glasses though, but I think they suit her just fine. She reminds me a lot of Sam Sparks, the news reporter on the movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. They would suit each other perfectly.

"So, Peet, how are you going to ask Katniss to homecoming?" Finnick asked me.

I wondered a lot on how I was going to ask Katniss to homecoming a lot. I mean, this will be our only homecoming before we graduated, so not only did the actual night have to be perfect, so did asking her. That was a lot of pressure to put on a guy.

I shrugged my shoulders and threw a few M&Ms into the center of the table. "I have no idea, guys. I know homecoming is in a couple of weeks, so I have to think of something, quick."

"You should draw her something. I know she really likes your sketches," Ryker suggested.

I shook my head. "Naw, I draw her stuff all the time. That wouldn't really be original or uni-,"

My sentence was interrupted when a great idea popped into my head. The guys were still staring at me, waiting for me to finish.

"I gotta go, guys. I've got a lot of work to do," I told them, getting to my feet.

I started shuffling to the door when I realized I still had my cards in my hands. I go back to the table and stop, smirking t them.

"Strait, suckas!" I laughed as I grabbed a handful of the pile of chips and M&Ms at the center of the table, shoving them into my mouth. I shuffled to the door once again, grabbing my keys off the table as I passed it. As I closed the door, I heard the whines and groans of the guys inside as they saw my cards.

I got into my car and sped home. I was greeted by Prim when I opened the door. She smiled at me and gave me a hug, telling me that Katniss was in the living room. I thanked her rushed towards the living the room to get to the stairs. As Prim said, Katniss was sitting on the couch, watching something on TV. She smiled at me once she saw me enter the room.

"Hey you're back," she got up and wrapped her arms around my neck, giving me a kiss. "It's Friday night; do you want to watch a movie or something?"

"Aw babe, as much as I love spending time with you, I actually have to do something tonight, and it's going to take a while. It's probably going to take me all weekend," I explained to my girlfriend.

She pouted out her bottom lip and looked up at me. "Please? I mean, it's already ten-thirty, so you're not going to get much done tonight, anyway. Just one movie? You can pick the movie if you want."

I really needed to get started on my homecoming proposal for Katniss, but she was right, I wasn't really going to get much done much tonight. I gave in and agreed to the movie. She smiled at me and gave me another kiss, saying that I should change into something comfortable while she got the popcorn. I went upstairs to change into some pajamas, since Katniss had hers on. I came back downstairs to find Katniss waiting for me, popcorn in hand.

"Choose your movie," she told me, motioning towards the large shelf full of DVDs. I scanned the case and found one that caught my eye.

"Is _The Fourth Kind_ any good?" I asked back to Katniss.

"I don't know. I didn't even know we had that movie. I've never seen it."

"Then I guess we are watching this."

I put it in and started the movie. I sat on the floor and Katniss assumed her usual spot between my legs. We watched the movie, which turned out to be really good, and creepy at the same time. It turned out to be about a woman telling her story, about how she thinks she was abducted by aliens and stuff like that.

By the time the movie was over, Katniss was dead asleep in my arms. I smiled, picking her up and carried her to my bed. I pulled the sheets over her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. With her being asleep, I took this as my chance to plan out my whole homecoming proposal. I took out one of my notebooks and planned out the whole thing. After about ten minutes, the notebook was back in my bag and was setting a reminder on my phone. I crawled into my bed and laid there on my back. Katniss snuggled into my side and settled her head onto my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed the top of her head, hoping that she'll like the surprise I had for her.

"Man, this is perfect," Ryder said

"She's going to cry man," Finnick added

"I wish I could do something like this," Ryker told me.

All of us were in the school, looking up at my homecoming proposal. It was a huge banner, which was about forty feet long. It stretched across the side of the main hallway upstairs. In our school, the upstairs main hallway was open, so you could overlook the main hallway downstairs. So I hung the banner right in the middle section, on the side of the upstairs hallway, right in plain sight. Katniss should be able to see it when she comes to school. We came early to put the banner up. I told Katniss that I had football practice this morning so she wouldn't suspect anything.

Around six-fifty, kids started coming into the school. They all took notice of the banner, pointing and admiring. I stood at the other end, waiting for Katniss to show. I hoped she comes soon, or else I'm going to sweat through this shirt.

* * *

**Katniss POV**

I entered the school from the student parking lot with Aspen and Annie. As soon as we entered people stopped their conversations, or were murmuring to each other. Shaking it off, I continued to walk down the hall. Small crowds started to follow us down the hall. Confused, I leaned towards Aspen.

"Why are there people following us?" I whispered to her.

She shrugged "Just ignore them."

Soon, we broke through the crowd and reached the most open area of the main hallway. everybody was looking up at something on the wall. I looked up in the general direction, finding a white banner. I was about to look away when a word on it caught my attention: _Katniss…_

_Katniss…when I first met you, you were stunning, even in all gray. I knew then that I was a goner_

Next to the sentence was a drawing of me when I was eleven, dressed in all gray: my prison suit.

_We became friends, besides the circumstances of our situation. And I knew then, that we were going to be together for a long time._

The next picture showed Peeta and I around age fourteen, goofing off at one of the prison lunch tables.

_We've been through a lot in the seven years we've known each other. And I know I have asked a lot of questions in those years._

There was a picture of Peeta and I in my holding cell, he was gripping my hands, a pleading look on his face.

_Like escaping the prison with me._

Then there was another drawing of Peeta and I standing in front of a Wal-Mart.

_Or to steal for survival_

The next picture, I was in Peeta's arms. He was lifting me off the ground in a death hug. My arms were around his neck, his were around my waist, and our lips were locked together.

_And my personal favorite, asking you to be my girlfriend. So my love, I just have one more question for you._

Next to the last sentence was just a down arrow. I followed the arrow down to find Peeta. He was in a black dress shirt and dark jeans. He had on a pair of white sneakers that fit the outfit just right.

By now, a few tears have escaped my eyes and were running down my cheek. Peeta brought his arm from behind his back to reveal a bouquet of flowers.

"Homecoming?" he asked, his voice wavering a little.

My mouth was open but nothing was coming out, so I just nodded my head. A smile broke out on his face as he pulled me on for a kiss. Other kids around us were starting to cheer, clap, and whistle. Soon we broke apart and Peeta handed me my flowers. I kissed him again and wiped the tears from my face.

"You did all of this just to ask me to homecoming?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Nothing's too much for you, Katniss."

"Well, you know, we helped. So do we get kisses as well?" Finnick asked as he came from behind Peeta.

"Yeah, I think we deserve kisses, too," Ryder said.

Both Finnick and Ryder just got slaps on the arm from their girlfriends. They tried to defend themselves to their girlfriends as Aspen and Annie gave them glares.

We all walked off to our first periods after that. First through fourth period go through in a blur, with me not really paying any attention to them. I didn't really wake up until fifth period when I saw Ryker put a small booklet on Bradley's desk. I raised my eyebrows at Peeta.

"He's going to ask Bradley to homecoming," He explained. I nodded as Bradley entered the room. Our whole table watched Bradley in anticipation as she opened the booklet and began to read it. Once her hand covered her mouth, Ryker took that cue to stand up and go over to her with a single rose. I saw her nod her head vigorously before she stood up to hug him. Seconds later, the bell rang for class to start, and we all took our seats. Today, Ryker brought Bradley to sit with us over at our table. They were adorable as they held each other's hand under the table and snuck glances at each other every once in a while. And I promise you, the smile on Ryker's face never left. Now there was only one thing left: the dress.

**I hoped you liked this chapter. Review, Follow, and Favorite! Until next time….**

**Jessica **


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